New Woman Behind the Camera

Women photographers from the 1920s to the 1950s shaped modern photography, capturing images of a changing world and bringing their own perspective to artistic experimentation, studio portraiture, fashion and advertising work, scenes of urban life, ethnography, and photojournalism. This book expands the history of photography by critically examining an international array of canonical and less well-known women photographers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 18 September 2020
Publisher: Distributed Art Publishers

Women have played a significant role in shaping modern photography from the 1920s to the 1950s, capturing images of a rapidly changing world. During this period, the New Woman emerged as a powerful symbol of female empowerment, with her bobbed hair and fashionable attire appearing in magazines and on the silver screen. A global phenomenon, the New Woman embodied an ideal of female creativity and innovation, and her impact on photography was profound. This book explores the ways in which women embraced the camera as a means of expression and made a lasting impact on the medium. Thematic chapters examine how women emerged as a driving force in modern photography, bringing their unique perspectives to artistic experimentation, studio portraiture, fashion and advertising work, scenes of urban life, ethnography, and photojournalism. Featuring the work of 120 photographers, this volume expands the history of photography by critically examining an international array of canonical and lesser-known women photographers, including Berenice Abbott, Dorothea Lange, Lola Álvarez Bravo, Germaine Krull, Tsuneko Sasamoto, and Homai Vyarawalla. Despite the challenges they faced, these women produced invaluable visual testimony that reflects both their personal experiences and the extraordinary social and political transformations of the era.

Weight: 2240g
Dimension: 256 x 307 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781942884743